[JURIST] The Central Criminal Court of Iraq (CCCI) [establishment order, PDF] on Sunday set a Feb. 19 trial date for the Iraqi journalist accused of throwing his shoes at former US President George W. Bush. The court allowed the charge of assaulting a foreign leader, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, to stand, despite defendant Muntader al-Zaidi's [BBC profile] attempt to have it reduced to attempted aggression. Defense lawyer Dhiya al-Saadi said he will try to have the charges dismissed [AFP report] and emphasized that his client was trying to insult, not injure, the US president. The announcement of a trial date comes after an official investigation, which initially led to a trial postponement [JURIST reports].

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